TUCSON, Ariz. — Named Arizona's chief federal judge in 2006, U.S. District Judge John M. Roll won wide acclaim for a career as a respected jurist and leader who had pushed to beef up the court's strained bench to handle a growing number of border crime-related cases.

His death Saturday, at the hands of gunman apparently intent on assassinating Arizona U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, stunned those who mourned the loss of a devoted, talented and gentle man.

"I have never met a more sincere ... fair minded, brilliant federal judge or any judge for that matter in my whole life," Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said.

Dupnik emotionally recounted Roll's final morning. A typical Saturday: a trip to church, then to the store and most likely a plan to go home to help with chores. But before heading home, he apparently stopped to visit briefly with Giffords at an event she was holding for constituents.

"Unfortunately, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Dupnik said.

'Widely respected jurist'Mark Kimball, a Giffords aide who was at the shooting scene at a shopping center, told The Associated Press that he believed the judge, who lived in the area, had simply gone to the Safeway where the shooting occurred to shop. Five others died in the attack, and several others were wounded, including Giffords.

Roll, 63, was appointed to the federal bench in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush. Roll previously served as a state trial judge and as a judge on the midlevel Arizona Court of appeals. He previously worked as a county and state prosecutor.

Named chief judge for Arizona in 2006, Roll pushed for more judges placed on the court's bench as border violence has swelled the district's caseload.

"Judge Roll was a widely respected jurist, a strong and able leader of his court, and a kind, courteous and sincere gentleman," said Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal circuit that includes Arizona. "He worked tirelessly to improve the delivery of justice to the people of Arizona."

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he recommended Roll for federal appointment.

"Words are inadequate to express such a profound loss to his family, friends, state and country, but it is appropriate to note that a man of great qualities and character was struck down today," McCain said.

Chief Justice John Roberts said in Washington that the killing of Roll was a terrible loss for the judiciary. The judge served Arizona and the nation selflessly and with great distinction, Roberts said.

'He lived his faith'Bishop Gerald Kicanas of the Roman Catholic Church's Tucson Diosese said Roll was an active parishioner. "He lived his faith as a servant of our nation for the cause of justice," Kicanas said.

Roll received death threats in 2009 after he denied a southern Arizona rancher's motions to dismiss a lawsuit filed on behalf of illegal immigrants who alleged that the rancher detained, assault and threatened them, the Arizona Republic reported.

"It was unnerving and invasive ... by its nature it has to be," Roll told the Phoenix newspaper in a mid-2009 interview.

Video: Doctor: 'Optimistic' of Giffords' condition

Closed captioning of: Doctor: 'Optimistic' of Giffords' condition

>>>good afternoon, everyone. i'm amex whit here at
nbc
world headquarters. we're cutting into our program with breaking news. we're being told by various sources both npr as well as a local
tucson
newspaper that
arizona
congresswoman
gabrielle giffords
has been shot. we do not know the circumstances and details of how she was shot. we were told, however, that according to this one resource at pr she was holding a public event in
tucson
outside of a grocery store there. this is according to
arizonapublic media
. giffords was hosting her first congress on your corner event. it happened at the safeway in northwest
tucson
. apparently, according to these reports that
nbc
news has yet to confirm, a gunman ran up to her and started shooting. this is according to a news director from the
arizonapublic media
. we're also told at least five other people, including members of her own staff, have been hurt. gi giffor giffords' condition is not known. we have heard erroneous reports of the location of her shooting but we'll save that until i get confirmation from
nbc
news. she was talking to a couple, apparently, when the man ran up firing rather indiscriminately and then took off. we'll getting this again from the
arizonapublic media
. there are other witnesses who are coming forward. apparently the person who did the shooting was tackled by a bystander and then taken into custody. solet goes

A hearse carrying the remains of U.S. District Judge John Roll arrives at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church before his funeral on in Tucson, Ariz., Friday, Jan. 14. Roll was killed in the Jan. 8 shooting that left six dead and wounded 13, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
(Morry Gash / AP)
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Mary Kool holds a single red rose outside the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church where the funeral of U.S. District Judge John Roll was to take place.
(Eric Thayer / Reuters)
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A flag recovered from ground zero is raised during funeral service for 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Tucson, on Thursday, Jan. 13. Green was the youngest victim of the shooting rampage. Green was born on Sept. 11, 2001.
(Mamta Popat / EPA)
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Left to right, Roxanna and John Green, mother and father of Christina Taylor Green, and their son Dallas Green, arrive at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church for her funeral in Tucson on Thursday.
(Mamta Popat / Pool via Reuters)
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People dressed as angels line the street leading to the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church where the funeral for Christina Taylor Green was to take place in Tucson on Thursday. Hundreds, dressed in white, lined the streets for more than a quarter mile of the funeral procession.
(Mike Segar / Reuters)
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John Green kisses his son Dallas on the head as the family follows the casket of Christina Taylor Green at her funeral mass in Tucson, on Thursday. At left is Christina's mother Roxanna and at right is Camden Grant, Christina's godmother's son.
(Rick Wilking / Pool via AP)
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Cindy and John McCain listen during the funeral service for shooting victim Christina Taylor Green in Tucson on Thursday.
(Greg Bryan / Pool via Reuters)
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A woman holds the service program from the funeral for 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green outside St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Tucson on Thursday.
(Mike Segar / Reuters)
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President Barack Obama speaks at the University of Arizona's McKale Memorial Center during the memorial service for victims of the shootings in Tucson. Obama told the crowd on Wednesday, Jan. 12, that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had opened her eyes for the first time since being shot in the head during the attack on Jan. 8. Six people were killed and 13 wounded by the lone gunman.
(Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images)
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Ron Barber, 65, district director for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, is visited by Giffords aide Daniel Hernandez in his hospital room on Jan. 9. Hernandez rushed to Gifford's aid after she was shot. Hernandez said that while he held the wounded Giffords, he asked another bystander to put pressure on Barber's wounds. He also asked Barber for his wife's phone number and then shouted it out to someone so that Barber's wife, Nancy, could be informed of the shooting.
(Gabrielle Giffords' Office / Reuters)
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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama observe a moment of silence with White House staff members on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Jan. 10.
(Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images)
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Congressional staff observe a moment of silence to honor victims of the assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on the steps of the Capitol in Washington.
(Michael Reynolds / EPA)
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Rachel Crabb, 5, holds hands with teachers, parents and other students during a moment of silence for her slain schoolmate, Christina Taylor Green, at Mesa Verde Elementary School on Jan. 9.
(John Moore / Getty Images)
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Candles are lit on Sunday at a makeshift memorial outside University Medical Center in Tuscon, Ariz., for those killed or wounded during the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords .
(John Moore / Getty Images)
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Six balloons representing the six people killed in Saturday's shooting spree, as part of a prayer vigil.Rep. Gabrielle Giffords battled for her life on Sunday after an assailant shot her in the head and killed six others in a rampage that has launched a debate about extreme political rhetoric in America.
(Eric Thayer / Reuters)
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The American flag flies at half-staff on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 9. In a brief statement Sunday morning, House Speaker John Boehner said flags on the House side of the Capitol in Washington will be flown at half-staff to honor the slain aide, Gabe Zimmerman, of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Thirty-year-old Zimmerman was among six killed Saturday.
(Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP)
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Emergency personnel use a stretcher to move Rep. Gabrielle Giffords after she was shot in the head outside a shopping center in Tucson on Saturday.
(James Palka / AP)
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Ernie Freuler fights back tears as Ray Lilley takes photos of the scene outside the office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords after she was shot in the head by a gunman who opened fire outside a grocery store, Saturday, Jan. 8, in Tucson, Ariz.
(Chris Morrison / AP)
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A law enforcement officer stands outside the home of Jared L. Loughner, identified by federal officials as the suspect arrested in connection with the shooting of U.S Representative Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 8.
(Eric Thayer / Reuters)
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People gather for a candlelight vigil for the victims of the shooting in Arizona at the steps of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Saturday Jan. 8.
(Jose Luis Magana / AP)
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Vera Rapcsak and others hold signs outside the office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Saturday after she was shot while meeting constituents.
(Chris Morrison / AP)
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Emergency personnel attend to a shooting victim outside a shopping center in Tucson, Ariz. on Saturday, Jan. 8, where Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others were shot as the congresswoman was meeting with constituents. Rep. Giffords, 40, a Democrat, took office in January 2007, emphasizing issues such as immigration reform, embryonic stem-cell research, alternative energy sources and a higher minimum wage. The gunman shot Giffords in the head, seriously wounding her, and killed six other people in a shooting rampage at a public meeting in Tucson on Saturday. Giffords was airlifted to a hospital in Tucson where she underwent surgery. One of the doctors who treated her said he was optimistic about her recovery.
(James Palka / AP)
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A woman places flowers by the office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Capitol Hill in Washington on Saturday after she was shot in Tucson by a gunman who opened fire, killing six people, including a U.S. district judge, John M. Roll.
(Nicholas Kamm / AFP - Getty Images)
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In this photo provided by The White House, President Barack Obama talks with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer about the shooting.
(Pete Souza / AP)
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Emergency personnel at the scene where Giffords and others were shot outside a Safeway grocery store in Tucson on Saturday.
(Matt York / AP)
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